Board and Train: Lupin, Day 4

Happy Friday! Sunday marks the end of Lupin’s first full week with us – and what an interesting week it’s been!

Weather and my broken toes have made it difficult to impossible for me to give him any real physical exercise. The brain games I’ve been doing with him are starting to lose their efficacy. Today, the forecast is calling for more rain, so getting Lupin out for a walk is not likely. However, my toes are doing well enough that I can get him on the treadmill; that will help him drain out his pent-up physical and mental energy so he stops trying to release it onto Violet by fixating on and trying to chase her. Boredom in any dog is a recipe for disaster. Boredom in a high-energy, high-drive, primitive breed like the Thai Ridgeback can be a lot more serious.

Overall, I am very pleased with Lupin’s progress. He and my husband have been slowly but steadily rebuilding trust with each other since the bite incident earlier this week. He is also continuing to work hard to regain Glimmer’s trust after he attacked her over a piece of food on the floor the day after his arrival.

In this first week, Lupin has shown me his true state of being. He has shown me that he perceives food and water as resources he must literally fight for, and he’s shown me the primitiveness of his breed through the survival state he goes into when he’s in the presence of one or both of them. This makes his progress with these things all the more remarkable to me; the trust he has to have to allow hand-feeding or even holding his food bowl.. I have no words.

Have a great day and a great weekend ahead, everyone. Remember to stay calm and lead on.